Whether you’re designing your kitchen to match the decor of other rooms, or planning your whole home’s look around the kitchen, you can make it a beautiful reflection of your personal style. Even if you aren’t interested in gutting your kitchen and starting from scratch with a new design and layout, there are a few options that have become increasingly popular in 2017.

Gray is the New White

Thanks to shows on HGTV like “Property Brothers” and “Rehab Addict”, our cabinet manufacturers say that white cabinets continue to be #1 selling cabinet. But gray is the new color they’re betting on to break white’s top spot. This kitchen using Cabico pairs soft gray cabinets with charcoal brush stroke and bronze stained upper cabinets, showcasing yet another kitchen trend — combining cabinet colors is a trendy look, and it’s holding strong.

Maximizing Cabinet Storage

Kraftmaid cabinetry offers a wide variety of storage options. Upper cabinet options include spice racks, reverse-a-shelf kits and tiered shelving. Not to be forgotten, the ever growing number of options for base cabinets include trashcan pullouts, rollout trays, cutlery dividers, even an old fashioned bread box. By using cabinet inserts like these, it maximizes the storage capacity without compromising aesthetics.

Adding a Bit of Flair

Looking at 2017 as a whole (so far), it has been a year of accessories. We often recognize that people design with trends while maintaining something neutral enough for the masses to love, keeping in mind the “resale”.

But, this year, that is all out the window! Literally.

As seen here, modifying the window to be a pass through to the exterior living space it a bold move. But, boy does it pay off. It is both a functional piece with a hang over bar for holding refreshments, as well as dirty dishes that need to be sent back inside.

Sometimes, when something seems too good to be true, it is. But, NOT in this case. At CQC Home it’s simple – we design it… and then… we build it.

But why? As one of the top home remodelers in the area, have come across several things over the past decade working with architects, outside design firms, house flippers, etc. But one thing is common with them all – the person designing the space was not privy to the real-world costs to actually build the design or new floor plan.

It’s a tale as old as time. The homeowner is frustrated that the designer is not able to give build cost pricing. Or the homeowner’s scope of work is way over budget and they can’t understand why or where to cut costs. This results in a lot of back and forth, and months of struggling to find where the money is being spent, and lots of redesigning and drafting. By hiring an in-house draftsperson and designer, we at CQC Home have eliminated that frustrating step.

We provide measurements for the existing layout, give new layout options and a 3D rendering of the new space. And our selections specialist will help you to pick out the items that work for your home and your budget.

Here is a recent kitchen we worked on together. In the photos you can see the “Before”, a “3D Render” that allows the homeowner to better visualize their new space and an “After” of the completed kitchen.

We look forward to working together with you! Give us a call to set up your design consultation today.

It’s not uncommon to hear “Modern Farmhouse” these days. Thanks to shows like “Fixer Upper” with Joanna Gaines, we all want shabby chic, farmhouse, shiplap everywhere!

A vintage farmhouse sink — it needed some love, but had great lines and was such a statement piece for the time period of this home from the 1920’s.

According to Forbes magazine, to decorate and design your older home you should do one of ten things. For us, we only needed #8 “Mix Traditional and Modern Pieces” using the old traditional style of the sink with the modern glass work in the upper cabinets. By incorporating dark countertops, we were able to design the kitchen around the sink, keeping it the focal point of the space. Not an easy task when kitchen counter tops these days are trying to steal the show!

To see a few more “After” photos of the space and some other rooms we worked on in the house, please follow us on Facebook, Houzz, Pinterest or right here on the CQC Home Blog!

Granite or Quartz? Get tips on how to find the right countertop for your kitchen remodel.

At CQC Home, our designers have noticed that about half our clients select a granite countertop, while the other half chooses a quartz countertop. Counters are one of the most hotly debated selection items. Don’t believe us? Just watch any episode on HGTV’s “Love It or List It”. The homeowners always LOVE a particular surface material, and they HATE the other. The key for our designers is to establish the wants vs. the needs, and keeping it all on budget.

So, is one really better than the other? Well, here are the facts. We’ll let you decide.

Granite Countertops

Granite is 100% natural. It is mined from quarries from all around the world, then cut and polished to a manageable size.

Granite can have so much movement and pattern, given that it was made from molten, pressurized rocks. So, no two granite slabs will ever be the exact same.

Granite is a more cost effective option, especially if the stone if from a local quarry.

Granite countertops should be cleaned daily with soap and water or a mild household cleaner.

To ensure the longevity of your investment, consider having your countertops resealed once a year.

Installing skylights into your home is a very bright idea! Not only do they look beautiful, but they bring in natural lighting helping, conserve energy and brighten up any room.

The two main types of skylights that CQC Home installs are Fixed and Operable skylights. These skylights can be placed in any area of your home and help make spaces appear larger.

Adding a skylight to your kitchen or bathroom can create a different effect than a regular old window. In the winter, regular windows only catch low-angled rays from the sun. In the summer, regular windows prevent you from getting as much sunlight as possible, resulting in a dimly lit room.

If you decide to install skylights in your kitchen, there is a possibility that your cabinets can be exposed to too much sun causing your cabinets to get sun bleached. To prevent that, get a gray or bronze-tinted glass.

Farmhouse sinks are an amazing way to add a sort of rustic charm to any kitchen.

Farmhouse sinks are deeper than typical stainless steel undermount or topmount sinks. This makes washing larger pots, bowls and cookware easier. There are also two different options when it comes to sectioning off your sink. You can have one large bowl, or two large bowls that are sectioned off.

White farmhouse sinks are typically made from fire clay, porcelain or stainless steel. Fireclay is more durable and easier to clean than porcelain, but definitely more expensive. The cost effective alternative would be to choose stainless steel. This option puts a modern twist on the traditional, country-styled sink.

Do keep in mind that this is not only a large sink on top. It will limit your storage space below the sink as well, so having extra storage space in another area of your kitchen would be ideal.

Ferguson Bath, Kitchen, and Lightening Gallery is the place to get the newest, and most ground breaking products and features. Quite naturally, we at CQC Home have joined forces with them, making our selection process and jobs so much easier with the outstanding products available for our clients. Over the next few weeks, I will highlight some of the Ferguson products we are noticing in our kitchen and bathroom renovations and remodels.

Strive Collection Smart Divide Double Bowl Kitchen Sink; 32″ X 18-5/16″ ; Undermount with Strainer are beneficial and beautiful, so it is no wonder we are installing so many of these sinks. One of the appealing factors is the Smart Divide lower bowl that boosts versatility and workspace. The sound-absorption technology called SilentShield gives a quieter performance. A rear drain enhances storage underneath the sink. And who doesn’t appreciate a sink bridge utility shelf with a dishcloth bar and bottom sink rack? These are included! Why not include the Pro 750 Evolution Food Waste Disposer in your new kitchen, which is a perfect space-saving garbage disposal that is 40% quieter than standard disposers. There are five-star reviews everywhere for this particular disposer, all mentioning the extreme power it possesses. Round off your kitchen sink with an Essa Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet. This well built faucet gives you up to five million uses. Pull-down sprayer faucets are popular, yet consumers often hesitate on selecting them since they tend to dangle over time. Delta has solved that with MagnaTite, a magnet embedded in the spout which pulls the wand accurately into place every time!

Contact us at CQC Home, where we create upscale, functional and exquisite kitchens!

A few years ago brass hardware was nearly impossible to obtain. Not so these days! Brass is making a radical comeback in kitchen and bathrooms far and wide!

Navy cabinetry, whether paired with floating cabinets or a furniture piece, looks regal matched with a white countertop and polished off with brass fixtures. Add an abstract vanity mirror to tie in your personality, leaving your bathroom a topic of discussion for days, maybe even weeks!

A decade ago mixing metals was considered unstylish, even tacky. The look has come full circle and its modern appeal has been restored. Just as mismatching cabinetry in the kitchen has.

Stand mixers are exceptionally useful in the kitchen. But how often have you given it a second thought when you remembered how much of a hassle it is to pull out your mixer? (Not to mention how heavy and how much space these heavy duty appliances take up.)

Good news! There’s a mechanically-balanced contraption that makes getting your stand mixer out a breeze. An appliance lift easily raises your mixer out of a base cabinet, locking it into place while you perform your culinary magic! When you’re done, tuck it away in a snap and that’s all there is to it.

An adjustable spring-tension mechanism helps ease the effort of lifting and lowering your stand mixer. Built-in shock dampers allow for a smooth movement when going up or down. And mixer lifts can accommodate different weights ranges — up to 20 pounds, 20 to 30 pounds, and even 30 to 60 pounds.

The inventor clearly kept design flexibility in mind. An otherwise bulky and heavy mixer now becomes an incognito fixture that can be whipped up or out of the way in a jiffy. It can be attached to any custom-made shelf and therefore fit all cabinet sizes allowing for a perfect match to your countertop or interior cabinet.

As a mom of a teenage daughter, I have to keep up with so many trends. One I have quickly learned of is the art of mismatching. My stylish daughter can somehow make a powder blue sock on one foot and a tangerine orange sock on the other look good! I no longer think twice in the morning when I can’t find a matching black sock! This is also true for your kitchen. I know you are saying to yourself, I’ll believe it when I see it! This beautiful modern farmhouse kitchen we designed really sells the trend of mismatching. Especially for those who ordinarily go for the classic look.

Cabinets

The beautiful upper cabinets are bronze stained, while the base cabinets are a light gray with a brush stroke finish. Look how the dark cabinets make the light ones look fresh and crisp. The handles have been left matching, so that there is still an element of visual cohesion and aesthetic appeal.

Countertops

The black walnut butcher block island contrasts against the ocean shell countertops selected for the perimeter, adding a bold look that really appeals to me.